[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 250 (Wednesday, December 31, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 68286]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-34109]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket Nos. CP97-168-000 and CP97-169-000]
Alliance Pipeline L.P.; Notice of Availability of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Alliance Pipeline
Project
December 23, 1997.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared this draft environmental impact statement
(EIS) on natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Alliance Pipeline
L.P. (Alliance) in the above-referenced dockets.
The draft EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act. The staff concludes that approval of
the proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures as
recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impact. The draft
EIS evaluates alternatives to the proposal, including system
alternatives, and requests comments on them.
The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the following facilities in North Dakota,
Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois:
Approximately 890 miles of 36-inch-diameter mainline
pipeline;
Seven compressor stations totaling 320,000 horsepower;
Five meter stations;
A total of 0.9 mile of 36-inch-diameter lateral pipeline
connecting the proposed meter stations to the mainline pipeline;
A measurement and pressure control station;
Forty-eight block valves installed along the pipeline and
at each compressor station; and
Three internal tool or ``pig'' launchers and four pig
receivers.
In addition, the draft EIS addresses the potential environmental
impact associated with construction and operation of a natural gas
liquids extraction plant planned by Aux Sable Liquid Products L.P. in
connection with Alliance's pipeline.
The purpose of Alliance's proposed facilities is to transport up to
1.3 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas produced in western
Canada to interconnections with existing pipeline systems in the
Chicago area. The planned Aux Sable Plant would extract the natural gas
liquids that may be present in Alliance's pipeline.
Comment Procedures and Public Meetings
Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. Please
carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your comments are
received in time and properly recorded:
Send two copies of your comments to: Lois Cashell,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., N.E.,
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
Reference Docket Nos. CP97-168-000 and CP97-169-000; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before February 16, 1998.
In addition to written comments we will hold several public
meetings in the project area to receive comments on the draft EIS. We
will announce in a future notice, the locations and times of those
public meetings.
Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend and
present oral comments on the environmental impact described in the
draft EIS. Transcripts of the meetings will be prepared.
After these comments are reviewed, any significant new issues are
investigated, and modifications are made to the draft EIS, a final EIS
will be published and distributed by the staff. The final EIS will
contain the staff's responses to timely comments received on the draft
EIS.
Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to
make the commentor a party to the proceeding. Any person seeking to
become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene
pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and
Procedure (18 CFR 385.214).
Anyone may intervene in this proceeding based on this draft EIS.
You must file your request to intervene as specified above. You do not
need intervenor status to have your comments considered.
The draft EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and
is available for public inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First
Street, N.E., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 208-1371.
A limited number of copies are available from Public Reference and
Files Maintenance Branch identified above. In addition, the draft EIS
has been mailed to Federal, state, and local agencies; public interest
groups; individuals who requested a copy of the draft EIS; libraries;
newspapers; and parties to this proceeding.
Additional information about the proposed project is available from
Paul McKee in the Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (202)
208-1088.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-34109 Filed 12-30-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
